It’s an utterly enigmatic statement from me and you should treat it as such .. “My favourite red wine on The Granite Belt has long been Pyramids Road Mourvèdre”. I have encountered many brilliant red wines in the region but so far, for me, nothing has knocked this wine off it’s mantle. A lesser known fact is that Warren consistently makes one of the best Mourvèdre wines in Australia.
The recently retired Roger Pike from Marius Wines in Willunga McLaren Vale added another fact, he told me that it’s best not to go near a well made Mourvèdre until it’s 10 years old, if you’ve ever had a 10+ year old Marius Martarius Mataro you’ll understand. Warren makes true cellaring style red wines. Ray Costanzo at Golden Grove Estate makes a very good Mourvèdre and so did Peter Stark (and now Brad Rowe) and there was a one off by Peter McGlashan a 2014 made with Golden Grove fruit which was also excellent. But for nuancing the best from this variety and amplifying the greatness of the grape as the wine matures Warren is a master. So what of this 16 year old …
It still has brilliance in the glass, just a little fading at the meniscus but no sign of any bricking yet.
The wines voice signals complexity with lovely lifted aromatics lilting with black fruits, a little purple fruit, plums, liquorice, a meaty/gamey character, strong earth and spices,
The complexity voiced in the bouquet beguiles on the taste buds. Dark plums, blackberries, something akin to ripe sour mulberries, leather, black olives, dark liquorice, dusty and minerally quarry earth, black pepper and cloves, sarsaparilla, jamon serrano and spicy chorizo, still good enlivening acid finishing with fine dusty but still dynamic classical mourv tannins. The wine is upper medium bodied, with excellent fruit weight and is now showcasing some exquisite secondary characters, collocated with younger fruit, but a few years yet to hit tertiary characters. Warren’s Mourvèdre vines consistently show that vineyards aren’t vintages, grab some and cellar them long.
Tasted: Sunday 2nd April, 2023 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $30
Suggested Drinking Window: now to 2027
Winemaker: Warren Smith
Fruit Source: Estate
Oak: Aged French and American Barriques
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